Khorasan from Ottoman perspective (based on Ottoman Turkish sources)

Historical and geographical data related to Khorasan, are reflected in Ottoman sources, constitute the primary source of information for this research. In this context, the Turkishness of these sources is the feature of data gathered for this study. In addition to examining differences in the information of Ottoman Turkish sources and its process of transformations and changes, this study, relying on Turkish sources, has been studied in three parts: the geographical situation, the cultural and social situation, and finally, the economic situation of Khorasan. The results suggested that in the early Ottoman sources, which are represented by Kâtip Çelebi’s Cihannüma, Khorasan’s geographical borders have been described with grandeur and in detail. Still, in the late Ottoman era, Khorasan and its geographical area are portrayed insignificantly. From a cultural and social standpoint, both sources have taken a glance at issues such as monuments, religion, and prominent Persons. Still, ethnic and linguistic issues and the presentation of population statistics are among the strengths of recent sources. As far as the economy of Khorasan is concerned, markets are less scantly addressed in both resources, but the mines, despite some discrepancy in types, have been highlighted in both sources. A focus on horticultural products in earlier, and the description of textiles in later sources are among points that, despite prominence in one source, have been overlooked in the other. In general, the Ottoman view of Khorasan has undergone extensive changes over the centuries, as manifested in the early or late Ottoman sources. There is even information about Khorasan that is not absent in other sources